EU leaders express solidarity with Gulf nations amid Iranian attack | Israel-Iran conflict news

EU and Gulf Cooperation Council leaders condemned ‘unjustified Iranian attacks’ across the region after talks in Brussels.

European Union leaders have expressed support for Arab states in the Gulf as Iran launches missile and drone strikes on targets across the region in response to attacks by the United States and Israel.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and other European leaders held talks with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) officials in Brussels on Thursday over what they described as “Iran’s unforgivable attack against GCC countries”.

“The minister strongly condemned the unjustified Iranian attacks against GCC countries, which threaten regional and global security, and called on Iran to immediately stop its attacks,” he said in a joint EU-GCC statement.

The statement reiterated that Gulf countries have the right to “take all necessary measures to protect their security and stability and protect their territories, citizens and residents”.

Reporting from the Belgian capital, Al Jazeera’s Osama bin Javaid said the message coming out of the talks was that Europe is “ready to help” its allies in the Gulf, “but it prefers a solution that mediates and encourages escalation”.

Iranian state media said the meeting came amid growing concerns about the wider fallout from US-Israeli strikes on Iran that have killed at least 1,230 people since Saturday.

Israel has expanded its military operations into Lebanon, but the US said on Wednesday it had sunk an Iranian warship in international waters, killing dozens of people on board.

Iran continues to fire at countries across the region, including Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, but its strikes have increasingly targeted energy infrastructure, raising concerns that they could affect global energy markets.

As European nations become increasingly vulnerable to the escalating conflict, France and the United Kingdom announced plans on Wednesday to send warships and air defense assets to Cyprus.

The move comes after a British Royal Air Force base on the Mediterranean island was on heightened alert earlier this week after an Iranian-made drone targeted it.

On Thursday, Italy said it would send “naval assets” to Cyprus in the coming days, along with the Netherlands and Spain.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told reporters that Italy would provide air defense systems to its Gulf allies to counter Iranian attacks.

Meanwhile, the UK, Greece and Portugal have said they will allow the US military to use their bases under certain conditions as the war continues, but Spain has refused, drawing the ire of US President Donald Trump.